FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Media Relations

SOMERS, Wis. (Nov. 14, 2013)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside men's basketball team gears up for its home opener and kicks off a five-game homestand beginning Saturday afternoon. The reigning Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division Champions welcome Purdue University-North Central to DeSImone Gymnasium on Saturday for the home opener before taking on Northland International University on Tuesday night.

The Rangers and Panthers hit the court at 3 p.m. on Saturday while the Rangers and Pioneers tip-off at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Live stats, video and audio will be available for both games with Steve Kratochvil providing the play-by-play. Games will additionally be carried over the airwaves throughout southeastern Wisconsin on WRJN 1400 AM.

About the Rangers: UW-Parkside (2-0) returns from Ohio undefeated, winning a pair of games at Cedarville University's Don Callan Classic. The Rangers ran past Central State University 95-83 in the season opener on Nov. 8 before downing the host Yellow Jackets 85-73 the following day.

Against Central State, the two squads traded jabs with eight lead changes and nine ties. UW-Parkside pulled away during the final six minutes of action, outscoring the Marauders 23-9 during that stretch to secure the win.

Jordan Mach returned to the court for the first time since January 2012, pouring on a game-high 24 points while Colt Grandstaff added 22 and Zygimantas Riauka chipped in 20.

The following night against Cedarville, Mach tallied a career-high 26 points guiding the Rangers past the tournament hosts. Cedarville claimed the game's opening bucket in what proved to be its only lead of the night as UW-Parkside quickly captured the lead and never relinquished it.

Mach leads the team in scoring after two games, averaging 25.0 points per game while averaging 5.0 rebounds per game and shooting an impressive 41.2 percent from three-point range. For his efforts, the junior guard was named the GLVC Player of the Week on Monday.

Riauka leads the Rangers on the glass, grabbing 7.5 rpg while adding 20.0 ppg on the offensive end. Jimmy Gavin has been a spark off the bench, averaging 16.0 ppg while Colt Grandstaff adds 12.0 ppg.

Nov. 16 vs. Purdue University-North Central at DeSimone Gymnasium (Live Stats)(Video)(Audio)

Series History: The Rangers and Panthers have never met on the hardwood. UW-Parkside has faced fellow Purdue system school Purdue University-Calumet on five occasions and have won all five encounters.

About the Panthers: Purdue-North Central (2-2), an NAIA school in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, heads to Wisconsin having already played four games this season. The Panthers began the season on the road against Mount Vernon Nazarene University on Nov. 2, falling 90-62, before suffering a 90-78 setback to NCAA Division III Huntington University on Nov. 5. Purdue-North Central opened its home slate on Nov. 8 with an 88-60 win over Moody Bible Institute before downing Marygrove College 110-93 on Tuesday night.

Myle Merchand leads the Panthers in scoring, averaging 19.7 points per game while Tyler Kowalkowski adds 14.7 ppg. Marcus Heard is PNC's leader on the glass, grabbing 7.0 rebounds per game while adding 11.0 ppg.

Nov. 19 vs. Northland International University at DeSimone Gymnasium (Live Stats)(Video)(Audio)

Series History: The Rangers and Pioneers have met on nine occasions with UW-Parkside winning all nine meetings. UW-Parkside has hosted Northland International annually since the 2007-2008 season. The two squads last tangled on Dec. 4, 2012 with the host Rangers earning the 82-44 victory after holding Northland International to just 12 points at the break.

About the Pioneers: Hailing from Dunbar, Wis., National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) member Northland International heads into the weekend with a 2-4 record. Northland began the season by absorbing losses to Trinity International University (91-74), Clarke University (93-53) and Ohio Christian University (90-82) before finally breaking through with an 87-80 win over Trinity International in a rematch on Nov. 8. The Pioneers fell 89-72 the next day to Reinhardt University but returned to the win column on Tuesday night, outlasting Manitowoc-based Silver Lake College 81-78.

The Pioneers host Indiana University Northwest on Saturday afternoon before packing their bags and heading to DeSimone for the Tuesday night tilt.

Last season Northland finished with a 17-8 overall record, winning the Midwest Region Championship and earning the No. 2 seed at the NCCAA Division II National Tournament.

Home Sweet Home: UW-Parkside will enjoy the comforts of home for the rest of the month with five straight games played inside DeSimone Gymnasium. After Purdue-North Central and Northland International, the Rangers bring in Saint Cloud State University on Nov. 23, University of Minnesota-Duluth on Nov. 26 and Cardinal Stritch University on Nov. 30.

Preseason Picks: The Rangers have been picked to finish fifth in the GLVC East, according to the league's 16 head coaches. Bellarmine University has been picked to win the division followed by the University of Southern Indiana, University of Indianapolis and Lewis University. In the West Division, defending NCAA Division II National Champion Drury university has been selected to repeat as champs.

GLVC Shuffle: This offseason the 16-member GLVC saw a few tweaks to its membership. Charter member Kentucky Wesleyan College exited the league to join the nascent Great Midwest Athletic Conference with Truman State University from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association filling the void. The addition of Truman moved the University of Illinois Springfield from the West Division to the East Division.

Reigel's Rangers: Head coach Luke Reigel begins his 11th season as head coach and his 14th season overall at UW-Parkside in 2013-2014. Reigel was named the 2013 Jack Bennett Man of the Year while also earning Midwest Region and GLVC Coach of the Year honors. The Wisconsin native sits second on the all-time wins list with 124 wins and has guided the Rangers to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths.

Returning to the sidelines will be assistants Tom Reigel and Andy Atkins while Keven Bradley joins the staff as the program's top assistant. Bradley joined the program over the summer after serving in a similar capacity at Upper Iowa University where he helped the Peacocks qualify for the NCAA Division II Tournament last season.